Battle of Nashville

The Battle of Nashville (15-16 December 1864) was a major battle of the American Civil War that occurred near Nashville, Tennessee. Following the Battle of Franklin, the debilitated 30,000-strong Confederate Army of Tennessee under John Bell Hood decided to lure the stronger 55,000-strong Union army of George H. Thomas into a decisive battle, hoping to turn the tide of Hood's disastrous flight from the state of Georgia to Tennessee. Hood's army took up defensive positions near the Union-held Tennessee state capital of Nashville, hoping to lure the Union into a disastrous assault. However, Hood made poor decisions in weakening the strength of his line, as a Union attack on the Peach Orchard led to Hood sending two of Benjamin P. Cheatham's brigades from Shy Hill to reinforce Stephen D. Lee's force at the orchard; this allowed for the Union to assault Shy Hill and break the Confederate line. The Confederate army was routed in the ensuing battle, losing 6,000 men; the Union lost 3,061 men. The battle ended the Army of Tennessee as a fighting force, and it effectively ended the Western Theater of the war.